Hello Alvin,
Just a note on my experience with the Thallo amplifier:
While this amplifier looked like a perfect match for my system I must say I was not expecting it to exceed my prior experience in virtually every area. Natural, organic, dynamic, and beautiful are the adjectives that come to mind as I listen to Patty Griffin's "Living With Ghosts" for the third time in a row.
After weeks of extended listening, I've been unable to find a single flaw in the sonics, simply as good as it gets in every area, a clean clear window deep into the music. The total lack of noise allows details like the natural decay of notes to be followed deep into the sound field aiding in the total immersion into the music. The added natural depth makes less than stellar recordings more tolerable and cymbal decays a thing of beauty.
For the first time I heard one of my favorite singer songwriters Patty Griffin's voice completely resolved into a fundimental and 2 different sibilants. They decayed into a sort of grunge on every system/amp I've heard previously increasing enjoyment immensly and offering respite from the fatigue that often results. Did I mention goosebumps? I could go on all day on the dynamics, both micro and macro, the bass/midbass extension/definition, the glorious midrange, and the beautiful highs but I really dislike writing with a passion, no idea why...I also find I'm listening 8-10db lower in volume yet enjoying it more. A bonus is your remote works perfectly with my Marantz SACD player!
Addendum: With the recent addition of the Hades preamp not only do the speakers dissappear in the room, the room dissappears as well.
Some minor issues: The Thallo blue LED is difficult to see even in a dark room. The Pontus's display is extremely static sensitive. It has changed just by touching a lamp on a completely seperate circuit. The lack of any gain in the preamp forced a 10 db increase in the phono stage, to 50 for MM, to obtain adequate volume. This may limit the usability for some potential buyers as most don't have that option. It was also an isssue on some DSD recordings. (Alvin: DENAFRIPS preamp is unity gain, i.e. 0dB, matching source with 2vrms/4vrms will work fine with power amp >20dB gain)
Finally, why did they not include remote capability on the DACs? The case is drilled and the hardware is essentially there already. The lack thereof is confusing as it limits sales along with user satisfaction. There are many that won't purchase because of this alone. (Alvin: Remote control is one of the most wanted features. We know...) Thanks again for the outstanding service.
Best Regards, Emil @ US
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